Garment racks



Aug. 6, 1968 .1. BELLOCK 3,395,811

GARMENT RACKS Filed March 13, 1967 new' FIG]

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United States Patent C 3,395,811 GARMENT RACKS John Bellock, Tenaiiy, NJ., assignor to J. Spiegel Manufacturing Corp., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 622,687 9 Claims. (Cl. 211-178) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A knock-down garment rack which for its assembly requires no tools, bolts, nuts, screws and the like. A rectangular frame in vertical pl-ane, is supported on releasably engaged legs. Said frame and legs are of tubular metal stock. The frame is in sections whose successive parts are in telescopic relation. Such joints offer stop means to limit their length and they may have cooperatively engaging locking teats. The upright side posts of the frame extend above the frames upper rail, as separate sections, each of which is permanently hinged to the end sections of the upper rail. The posts carry brackets for frictional mounting of shelf structures above the upper and lower rails. The mounting of the shelves, maintain the assembly in sturdy condition without the aid of the teat locks. For a larger rack, its upper and lower rails are 4of course longer and have a central section which releasably mounts short center posts. Separate shelf structures are provided between said center posts land the main posts. Assembly is effected in all instances by slide and push motions, except for two swinging motions Iat the hinge connections.

This invention relates to garment racks of the type preferably made of tubular metal stock, comprising a rectangular frame carried raised off the ground a bit, on side legs, each of which may be of inverted U-slrape in a vertical plane at right angles to the plane of the frame which is vertical. The upper rail of the frame is for supporting garment hangers. Shelves of wirework are supported on the upper and lower rails of the frame.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved garment rack of the knock-down type and of the character described, which is easily assembled with-out tools and without bolts, nuts or screws. When assembled, the structure is very sturdy. It also can be easily dismantled.

Another object thereof is to proivde a novel and irnproved construction for a garment rack of the kind set forth, all of whose parts are assembled by sliding movements and when in proper place in relation to each other, they lock.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved garment rack having the afore-mentioned attributes, which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost to manufacture and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent `as this disclosure proceeds.

-In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar Ycharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. l is an elevational view of a garment rack embodying the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modied embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wirework shelf which is used in these embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the type yof bracket which I prefer to use for supporting the shelves.

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view, partly fragmentary, showing the provision for releasably assembling 3,395,811 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 a foot with the rectangular frame and for the telescopic association of frame parts.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the provision for mounting the upper rail of the frame to the side posts of said frame.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a center post used in the garment rack of FIG. 2, for shelf suspension.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary exploded view, shown partly in section, of the provision to associ-ate and lock parts of the frame.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a garment rack comprising a rectangular frame indicated generally as 16, whose side posts indicated generally as 17 -and 18 extend upwardly a comparatively short distance rom the rectangular form to support a wirework shelf denoted generally by the numeral 19, and Iside legs which are the inverted U-forms 20, 21, whose distal ends may be fitted with `castors 22. Above the bott-om rail 23 of the frame 16, said posts also support a similar shelf 24. The upper rail indicated generally ias 25, is for suspending garment hangers. At each shelf end, its middle wire has downwardly bent legs 26 each of which set into the aligned holes 27, 28 through the arms of a U-shaped bracket as 30, which is positioned as a C on the posts, at Iappropriate positions. The upper distal end of each bracket, may be bent upward as at 31 and provided with a notch 32, t-o receive the shelfs middle wire 33. The front wire 34 of the shelf, may be formed with hooks 35 at its ends, for hanging an umbrella -along Ithe outsides of the posts 17, 18. The lower rail and the lower parts of the posts, may be furnished by a U-member having the comparatively short arms 36, 37, on the outside of each of which is secured a trapezoidal plate 38 having its slanted ends turned inward to form the converging channels 29 for receiving a trapezoidal plate 39 which is secured across the mid-region of the side leg 20 and yanother similarly placed on the side leg 21. These are well known releasa'ble joint constructions. The legs and frame are made of metal tubing.

The side post 17 is made up of the comparatively long section 40 and the relatively short upper section 41. Similar parts of the post 18 are designated by the numerals 42 and 43 respectively. The upper rail 2-5 is comprised of the sections 44 and 45. The lower U-shape 23, is comprised of the L-shaped sections 46 and 47. The horizontal length of each leg 20, 21, is less than the length of the sections 40 or 42, so they are each of one piece. As mentioned, all these sections are tubular. Where the ends of tubes meet, one of them has a reduced short neck as 48 which frictional-ly fits into the end of the other as `49 and provides a stop shoulder at 50 for such other. There also may be provided the depressed teats 51 and 52 in the respective engaged tube ends, which engage what the tube sections are telescopically joined and securely lock them. It requires considerable force to separate the sections so joined. To receive the free end of the section 44 between them, to which it is secured, are the triangular plates 53 and 54, one in front of and one in back of the 4post section 41; said plates being swingably mounted on said post section by the axis pin 55. This permits compactness for shipping the rack knock down, to be erected by the customer, since at the factory, the section 41 is swung to lie alongside the section 44. The same construction is provided at the free end of the section 45 where the axis pin is indicated by the numeral 56.

When the garment rack 15 is assembled, it is very sturdy. Even if its joints should become loose, the assembly will be maintained because of the engagement of the shelves with their supporting brackets 30, whose lit is preferably frictional, though not mandatory. Attachment of the brackets 30, and of the releasable juncture plates 38 and 39, to the tubular parts, are preferably effected by welding, for which seats may be provided by the depressed teats 57 and 58.

The garment rack of FIG. 2 is of greater length than the garment rack 15 of FIG. 1, but all joints and corresponding parts in both of them, are substantially identica-1, so the numerals assigned in FIG. 2 are the same as are used to indicate corresponding parts in FIG. 1, except that in FIG. 2 they are primed. Being of greater length, the rack 1-5 uses two shelves 24' in place of the one shelf 24 in FIG. 1, and two shelves 19' in place of the one shelf 19 in FIG. 1. If desired, another set of shelves 19 may be provided above the shelves 19', as shown in FIG. 2. To give the frame 16 its required length, the top rail has an insert section r59, and the bottom rail has an insert section 60, all joined as in FIG. 8. The insert section 59, at its middle, carries a relatively short upright center post 61, while the insert section 60v carries one shown as 62. These center posts have brackets 30 thereon, to support the inner ends of the shelves. Each of said center posts is made of a piece of tubing which is attened at one end as shown by the numeral 63; such ilat being frictionally engaged in opposite slots as 64 in insert section 60.

To decoratively trim bare tube ends, they may carry a plastic cap 65', which is also appropriate to serve as a foot as at 66, in place of a castor 22.

Of importance to note is that the racks may be shipped knockdown in a very compact package, and that to assemble them requires no bolts, nuts, screws or tools. The parts are automatically locked in assembly, by the interiitting teats as 51, 52, and by the shelf stems 26 when mounted in the brackets 30, 30.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specic showings and description herein, to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A knock-down garment rack which requires no tools, bolts, nuts or screws for its secure and sturdy assembly, comprising a substantially rectangular frame made of tubular stock, positioned in a vertical plane, consisting of two spaced side posts, a lower comparatively low U-frame piece whose arms serve as the lower parts of said posts and whose horizontal part connects said arms, constituting the lower rail of the frame, and an upper rail between said side posts, positioned a predetermined distance below the upper ends of said posts, the bottom and upper rails, each being of separate parts constituting sections thereof respectively; each side post being composed of a relatively long section and a relatively short upper section; the ends of the upper rail being intermediate the ends of said upper post sections respectively, first and second means hingedly connecting the ends of the upper rail to said posts respectively; such hinge connections affording swinging movement to the end sections of the upper rail, only upwardly and back to horizontal, legs extending downwardly from regions of the lower U-member of the frame respectively, two sets of cooperative means, one set releasably interlocking and connecting each of said leg members to an arm of the lower U-member of the frame, brackets on said posts above each of said rails for supporting shelf structures; each bracket comprising a C-shaped piece, each arm of which is provided with a hole; said holes in each bracket being in alignment; each shelf structure having a downward pin at each side end thereof at substantially the mid region of each such side end; each of said pins being through the holes of one bracket respectively; all successive sections of said frame being in telescopic association, by having one of said sections present a reduced end portion whereby a shoulder is formed at the inner end of such portion; the associated section being in frictional telescopic tit on said reduced portion and stopped against the shoulder.

2. A garment rack as delined in claim 1, wherein each downwardly extending pin member from the shelf structures, is frictionally engaged in the holes of the bracket it is associated with.

3. A garment rack as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the two pin members of each shelf structure is a bent down end portion of a horizontal wire along the shelf; the distal end of the upper arm of each bracket, being bent upwardly and provided with a downward notch therein; said wire being positioned and engaged in said notches.

4. A garment rack as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the lirst and second hinge connections comprises a pair of plates pivoted on a single axis on the upper short post section and below the shelf bracket on such section, and secured to the adjacent end section of the upper rail; said sections being between said plates.

5. A garment rack as defined in claim 1, wherein the reduced end portion presented by one of each pair of successive frame sections respectively, is integral with the section which presents it; each such reduced portion and the frame section and telescopically on it, each having an inward teat; said teats being in engagement.

6. A garment rack as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the upper and lower rails of the frame includes a central section having diametrically opposite vertically spaced slots in its center region, and each such central section including a short post having a reduced lower end frictionally engaged in said slots, brackets of the construction described, mounted on said center posts; said shelf structure above each rail being two separate shelves of the construction described, one end downward pin of each being mounted on the center post and the other downward pins of each pair of shelves being mounted on the other posts of the frame, respectively.

7. A garment rack as defined in claim 6, wherein each downwardly extending pin member from the shelf structures, is frictionally engaged in the holes of the bracket it is associated with.

8. A garment rack as defined in claim 6, wherein each of the first and second hinge means comprises a pair of plates pivote-d on a single axis on the upper short outer post section and below the shelf bracket on each such section, and secured to the adjacent end section of the upper rail; said sections being between said plates.

9. A garment rack as defined in claim 6, whe-rein the reduced end portion presented by one of each pair of successive frame sections respectively, is integral with the section which presents it; each such reduced portion and the frame section end telescopically on it, each having an inward teat; said teats being in engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,830,282 11/1931 Lorch 211-178 2,748,955 6/1956 Anselmo 211-178 2,793,764 5/1957 Stork 211-178 3,197,035 7/1965 Wolf 211-178 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner. W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

